Lucifer, Volume 2: Father Lucifer

Lucifer (2015) (Single Issues) #7-12

by Holly Black, Lee Garbett (Illustrator)

After being wrongfully accused of deicide by his angelic brethren, the Prince of Hell undertook an epic quest through the cosmos to clear his name. Now he wants nothing more than to retire to his Los Angeles club, Ex Lux, and drown the world’s sorrows one drink at a time.

With the throne of Heaven still vacant, archangels are turning on each other in an effort to seize their absent Father’s crown. And since the Lightbringer has no desire to revisit his former kingdom, a vicious power struggle has erupted in the infernal realm, as well.

Caught between chaos above and below, Earth has never been more vulnerable. In order to keep his terrestrial retreat safe from collateral damage, Lucifer must reluctantly rejoin the fight for control over Creation. But as the battle rages, the aftershocks from his Father’s demise are growing stronger -- and making it clear that some fates really are worse than death.

Collecting: Lucifer 7-12

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Supernatural, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2016

About the author

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over thirty fantasy novels for kids and teens. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.

Reviews

[Chad]

This builds off Mike Carey's book, so make sure you read the original Lucifer first. Where the first volume was a murder/mystery, this was about the oncoming storm and setting the book up to face this "new" evil version of God.

[Morris]

“Lucifer Vol. 2: Father Lucifer” has beautiful artwork and a main story with potential, but it strays in way too many directions to be cohesive. I’m hoping that the next volume stays with a single storyline. Word of caution: If you’re coming to this comic because of the television show, it is almost completely different. In my opinion, the show is better. Your mileage may vary.

This unbiased review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.

[Brendan]

The overall story was interesting but this arc didn't do a lot to make this stand out. The first chapter was interesting and I found it to be a good jumping in point. The storyline is a little mixed and all over the place with this chapter, I could only tell that the next book will be tracking down god. I love the artwork but found this story lacking compared to the first.

[Otherwyrld]

Mike Carey's Lucifer is one of my all-time favourite comic book series, so I was surprised to see that there were more volumes out (I don't keep up with this as much as I should). The reins have been passed on to Holly Black, which was a slightly surprising choice to me, given that I know her best as a writer of children's fantasy books and not the most obvious person to pick up such a mature series.

So, given that I didn't read volume 1 (our library doesn't have a copy) could I still work out what was going on and also enjoy it for what it is. The answer is yes and no - many of the characters from the original series appear here, but the whole thing felt a bit disjointed and it jumped about a lot. Maybe reading the first volume would have helped, but I suspect not. It felt like the author had been given a list of important characters that had appeared in the original series and was told to somehow weave them all together into a single coherent plot, something possibly even Carey might have struggled with (he would have introduced them more gradually, I feel).

For all that, the story isn't a bad one, and I can see where the author is trying to take it. She has a lot of the main character's nuances down well enough for it to fit in with it's illustrious predecessor, but it just needs a bit more decluttering to make it a better fit for the story.

The art was a little variable at times - sometimes sublime, sometimes unfocused, so that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who on the angel front.

Generally I enjoyed it, but I would need to read it as a single coherent story to see if it fulfills its potential. The author has been allowed to play in a very important sandbox, I hope for the best.

[Sesana]

From what I can tell, this volume looks to have a lot more nods to the previous Lucifer series than Black's first volume. Great if you read and really liked that series, I'm sure, assuming what Black is doing here is consistent with what came before. For me, there were a few too many scenes where I didn't really know what was going on until the scene was part over. At least I remember Mazikeen from Sandman. And yet, I'm still enjoying this. The dialog and art are really good, the pace feels just right, the subplots are getting more interesting, and the story develops into something quite interesting by the halfway point. It's unfortunate that Black is leaving the book, because I think she was doing a fine job with it. Maybe a better read for people who actually read Carey's take on Lucifer before this, but not entirely intimidating for a new reader.

[Jordan]

I just can't get over how good these books are. A freaking wonderful addition to the Mike Carey run every conceivable way.

[Chris Lemmerman]

[Read as single issues]
Two volumes in and Holly Black and Lee Garbett are proving that they aren't afraid to play in Mike Carey and friends' old stomping grounds, dragging up plot points and characters from the previous Lucifer series in order to wage a new war on Lucifer and Heaven itself.

Whereas the first volume was more of a murder-mystery, this second one is an oncoming storm type situation, with the tension building and building after the initial battle between Lucifer and his son until all of creation is in trouble yet again. It's cosmic storytelling on an epic scale, which would be easy to mess up, but both creators are doing their best here. Some of the callbacks feel a bit off if you're not familiar with the characters from before and lose some of the impact, but I expect most people still reading this series have realised it's nothing like the TV show so we're left with just the people who read Lucifer before.

The worry I have going forward is that Holly Black has set up all these storylines and now she's left the title. Lee Garbett is still in place, but new writer Richard Kadrey has a lot of inherited storylines to deal with. Fingers crossed.

[Shannon Appelcline]

It's hard to assess Holly Black's Lucifer, because she's working so hard to make this a sequel to Mike Carey's Lucifer, but she suffers in the comparison.

There's a great epic here, a huge cast of characters, and an interesting story.

But the pacing is awkward and the characters don't have as much depth as I'd like and there's none of the interesting storytelling of Carey's opus.

This is worth reading, and maybe even rereading, and it's probably better than the first volume, but it's very obviously no Mike Carey.

[Anna]

I don't often review graphic novels, but this delighted me. It feels like a return to the glory days of Lucifer, always one of my favourite comic series. The Basanos and Elaine Belloc return; several interesting new characters are introduced. An epic plot is set up, sword fights abound, and Mazikeen wears some spectacular Gareth Pugh-esque outfits. Good times.

[Xan Rooyen]

Really enjoyed this - the story feels like it's taking off now.

Also, Lorin and Medjine - they are by far my favourite characters. I hope there's a lot more of both of them!

[Barbi Faye (The Book Fae)]

I just had to read up this one, on mah Holly Black as she is mah gurl and I love hurr, and Mostly, I also first just had a chance to was able to see behind the scenes of the filming of Lucifer when it was here for the day, they were on location on my street. YES! And so then, I was able to have binge watched the first season of the tv show, Lucifer, mostly because I am a dyed in the wool capitol P Proud Effin' Vancouverite, and as I learned that lot of Lucifer is filmed here. A lot of Everything is filmed Here!!! I know this because I know that Vancouver is The Best Place On Earth!!!! And the entertainment industry knows this too, and then the entertainment industry just lies to you, and calls it LA!!! I just love it when they hand feed an LA establishing shot and then the rest of the shots in the story is Vancouver... with LA license plates and an American mail box...! (Do you really think America is That pretty and clean....? Hahaha! JK ... I am just having fun with ya!!) A lot is filmed here because the exchange rate is about 15 percent cheaper, and as well as a few more tax breaks, along with the great scenery and attractions and filming lots.
The mag is nothing like the show! I like the show way better; Lucifer is played better with more sass as well as Mazikean and no one has wings either, too cost prohibitive I guess! I think I will stay watching and not reading this story... I prefer my Lucifee that way...!!! But, great art, great story!

[Alex Sarll]

One of the many bullshit arguments used to justify the existence of evil in a world supposedly created by an all-powerful, all-knowing and all-benevolent deity is that good would be meaningless without evil. Well, this volume flips that, and opens with Lucifer wondering what purpose he serves now the father he opposed for so long is dead. Not that he has long to feel disaffected, because other plots are in motion, not least his own son challenging his former consort Mazikeen for the throne of Hell. And then there are the stories of his angelic brothers, variously disaffected, and a looming threat which at once echoes and inverts the big arc of this series' own progenitor, Sandman. After all, in comics the dead don't always stay dead, but sometimes when they come back, they're significantly altered. And not always for the better. If only Lucifer knew the deity of another, adjacent cosmos to whom he could turn for help...

[Dev]

I just feel like this series is rehashing plot points from the first series but in a much less epic way. Also everyone feels very juvenile. Like I know that Holly Black mostly writes YA so I guess it's understandable but one of the things I liked about the original run was that all the immortals actually behaved like they were immortals. I mean it's still Lucifer so I definitely don't hate it, but it's very slow to get on its feet. And I really like the Lucifer/Mazikeen bits because I just love them together, but it's not enough to carry the whole thing for me.

[Nightlizard]

If you are here because of the show - you can be disappointed, because it is not the same.
Overall I liked it and I would read the continuation, the whole thing was very interesting and I was really enjoying the art style of the illustrations.

*Digital review copy provided by NetGalley & the publisher in exchange for an honest review or rating.

[Darth Reader]

I am absolutely in love with Lucifer. He's perfect. And I've always felt bad for Satan, anyway. Mark Twain was the one who asked, "Who prays for the one who needs it most, who prays for the devil?"

Poor Satan.

The story of this one was really, really good, and I like how she knows here source material and keeps bringing Gaiman's work and characters back into it.

Did I say I love Satan?

[Serena]

In compliance with FTC guidelines, I have won this book through the Goodreads Giveaways.

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.

[Vicki Haid]

What a great continuation of Lucifer!
Images are fantastic and kept me intrigued, even if I'm not a usual reader of graphic novels.

(Based on an ebook copy of this title from the publisher for a review)

[Steven W]

Really, love this series. One of my favorites!!

[Pop Bop]

Yes. I'd Like Some More Lucifer Please.

DC and Vertigo are rebooting what appears to be pretty much everything in their catalogues, which is fine by me. And Lucifer strikes me as among the titles most worthy of being rebooted. Everyone liked Gaiman's Lucifer and loved Mike Carey's 75 issue Lucifer, but he's just such a great character, surrounded such a great cast, that I'm of the mind that there's always room for more.

Volume 1 collected the first six issues of the new Holly Black "Lucifer". This Volume 2 collects issues 7 through 12. Volume 1 struck me as a Lucifer/Gabriel buddy-cop sort of tale, (of course with lots of digressions and shout outs), but this Volume 2 feels more like a "Game of Thrones" kind of tale, with a huge cast of characters, and loads of conniving, scheming, back stabbing, deicide, patricide, sibling rivalry, cousin-icide, and demon bashing.

I don't know why, when they revisit a character who has a long publication history and backstory, they don't offer readers a two or three page synopsis and character list. (Heck, "War and Peace" opens with a list of characters.) If you are new to Lucifer, or if you don't remember the original, you might want to wander to the DC website or even to Wikipedia to refresh your memory of who Mazikeen and Elaine are, and maybe even how Lucifer ended up in L.A., and why the underlying theme here is predetermination versus free will. Or, of course, you can just jump right in and piece everything together with a little selective re-reading and backtracking.

Because I'm a little obsessive I did have to figure out some of the really obscure references, (Boy Detectives anyone?), but these volumes are fun even if you let go and just read them for the snappy patter and Lucifer's snarky, deadpan, ironic throwaway lines. In that regard, Holly Black also hands out some excellent dialogue to the rest of the cast, including even incidental characters, so this isn't by any means a one-man show.

Bottom line, I thought this was fun, well-written, reasonably coherent, and hip without being insufferably angsty. A nice effort. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Jaimie]

I’m definitely starting to see the appeal of Holly Black’s take on Neil Gaiman’s character, Lucifer - he retains enough of Gaiman’s uncaring and world-weary Lucifer, as well as a healthy dose of Mike Carey’s interpretation, and draws on Black’s own background and interest in reworking mythology to bring us back to the original Lightbringer. All three incarnations draw heavily on the various ethos surrounding the fallen angel, and as Black explores the world that Gaiman (and DC/Veritgo) has created of Hell she clearly becomes more comfortable putting her own spin on things.

What I enjoyed most about this storyarc was that it heavily featured Mazikeen. Now the reigning Queen of Hell, Mazikeen steps out from Lucifer’s shadow to become a political (and physical) force to be reckoned with as various factions war within Hell (nothing new, considering demons), Earth (also expected, thanks humans), and even Heaven as it is shaken by the disappearance of God. Or whomever they’re referring to him as these days. He’s been shown absent and uncaring of his universal creations in previous stories over the ages, but I’m very curious to see how Black chooses to retell this particular story. Her characters are often flawed and controversial, so in many senses this is a perfect fit for the obviously problematic legions of angels, demons, and humans that populate this portion of the DC/Vertigo multiverse.

[Guilherme Smee]

Holly Black continua fazendo um ótimo trabalho no novo volume do título do príncipe das mentiras, do diabo, do anjo caído, do estrela da manhã, Lúcifer. Neste segundo volume, um pouco inferior ao primeiro, ela amarra as pontas soltas deixadas na sua compilação de estreia. Lúcifer, Mazikeen, o anjo Gabriel e seus aliados precisam enfrentar não só a ameaça do filho de Lúcifer - a nomeada besta do Apocalipse -, como a vinda de uma nova versão d' A Presença, ninguém mais ninguém menos do que o Pai Supremo, Deus. Entretanto, desde que Deus abandonou a criação e, posteriormente foi morto por alguém se passando por Lúcifer, ele retornou de outra forma, muito mais impiedosa e cruel do que sua versão do Antigo Testamento. E agora Lúcifer precisa convencer a única pessoa que pode fazer frente a esse poder, que é Elaine, a criança que herdou todo o poder da criação e d' A Presença. Realmente tem sido uma grata surpresa ler esse novo volume de Lúcifer, uma leitura instigante e recompensadora. Contudo, apesar de ser uma boa história, o próximo volume encerra essa fase e promete uma batalha apoteótica entre o Deus e o Diabo. Resta perguntar: De que lado você está? OPA! Quadrinho errado!

[Maggie Gordon]

I wasn't overly fond of the first volume of the rebooted Lucifer. I thought that it was unnecessary and destroyed a perfect ending to the original series. While I still think that, this second volume was substantially more interesting than the first. God has been reborn, and that's... not so great. Maziken's rule in hell is being challenged, Lucifer is a cocky asshole, and Raphael has a boyfriend. There's a lot of political machinations and conspiracies. Everything a good Lucifer book needs! However, I still don't think the new books match the weighty nature of the Carey series. Part of it is the illustrations. While still quite strong for a monthly book, the ones from Carey's book were ethereal. These look a bit too superhero for my tastes.

Also, as much as I enjoyed the callbacks to the original books, new readers are not going to have ANY idea what is going on. Strange reboot in that case :l I am not sure what exactly they wanted to do with this, but it's getting better?

[Storm]

7-12: Father Lucifer
"You are cordially invited to preside over a duel for the ruler ship of Hell. A box seat will be provided for your comfort, and bloodshed for your amusement."

Metatron has a "you can't handle the TRUTH!" moment with Raphael. Mazikeen has been challenged to a duel for the throne of Hell and there is another murder in Heaven. Good heavens, has everyone gone crazy because God is gone? Yes. They have. Fantastic plotting and intrigue. Medjine makes a new friend, Noema Presto. Raphael has committed a sin and somehow goes to Lucifer (of all Angels) for absolution. In the meantime, in Hell, Mazikeen asks Gabriel for help in preparing her to meet the challenger, who has low odds but is hiding the extent of his true power. The battle is epic even if there's intervention from an unexpected quarter. Elaine takes her own position, Lucifer does what he does and the ending of this arc feels rather messy and contrived.

[Patricia]

     I kind of got excited when i saw that DC and Vertigo were rebooting a lot of there series . Then when i saw that LUCIFER was getting the reboot . I got excited and it to be done by a woman it was even better . In volume two we have Lucifer basically drownin his sorrows in his bar after his epic battle .  He is drug back into the fight for control over all of Creation. As he is fighting he sees that the aftershocks of his father's death is taking a toll on everything .
  In this new reboot, the authors aren't afraid to play with the big boys . They bring back some characters and plots that were all but lost in other episodes . The story has a lot of action and lots of characters to digest at the begining . As the book progresses you get caught up in all the action that is taken place . You will not put it down .
   The novel is a little dark but the art work is amazing . The story flows great and i must say i was sucked into the story line . i love DC and i am so happy that they are rebooting some series . So if you want a good series that has a great reboot check it out

[María Amparo]

La historia va cobrando forma rescatando el tema principal de la antigua cabecera: El libre Albedrío. Si cuento algo más, será un imperdonable spoiler. Me estoy acostumbrando a estos nuevos Lucifer y Makizeen y defitivamente Gabriel es mi personaje preferido en esta nueva etapa, aunque tiene menos protagonismo que en los anteriores números. Nos encontramos ante otra vuelta de tuerca, donde los roles cambian. Si tienen así, tienen garantizada mi fidelidad, pues han captado mi interés.

Nota con Spoiler: no se si era necesario recuperar a Miguel Demiurgos, aunque todos lo echábamos de menos, Lucifer incluído. No me gusta mucho cómo ha reaparecido, pero no soy objetiva. Además tengo esperanzas por cierto diálogo que al final no será la marioneta que parece y que nunca fue.

[Michael Benavidez]

This was a really nice read to get into again. Having felt like the first one was more of a nod to the original while building up to the main event, this one actually manages to create the main event. With all the characters finally introduced from the last edition, and the things set up as they should be like chess pieces ready to go into battle, this one starts the game.
All the while, it does revisit some events from the original run, it does it in a way that I enjoy. It feels like that was the plan all along from the get-go, just picking up some loose ends that never felt like loose ends in the first place.
I'm really excited to see where this goes.

[Alison N]

It was good. The problem was it had been so long since I'd read the last volume that I found myself totally lost on some of what was going on. A recap at the beginning would have been VERY helpful. Overall though, Black's writing is sharp, the artwork is gorgeous and gruesome, the mythology is as broad and rich as ever and there were some pretty high stakes. I say read it, but read Volume 1 almost immediately beforehand.

[Britt]

I had forgotten most of volume 1, but hoped I could jump right back, and for the most part, I could! I was definitely missing some backstory for some of the characters, and couldn't determine if they were from a different run or if I forgot some stuff from the first book. An interesting story either way, Black does comics rill good, y'all. I liked most of the art, but couldn't tell some of the angels apart. 3 stars - I liked it! Fun times!

[Petergiaquinta]

A little too quick on my part blaming Metatron. Or thinking that Holly Black’s turn at the Lucifer saga would outshine the work of Mike Carey on the earlier series. Still…I do think she better captures the Lightbringer’s character a little better, as given to us originally by Gaiman. And Metatron is a great flaming asshole worthy of much blame, whether the culprit or no. The real issue at work here is that Black cannot maintain my interest, and I have one volume to go.

[Max Kilgore]

Love this series, but I will say that I feel like when I first read these books when they came out, this is where I became confused having not read the original series. I’d say a lot of this volume deals heavily with the Mike Carey run. I still found it enjoyable and loved rereading it, but I did like it more with the prior context of having read the original Lucifer series.